How to Play Belfast Ham on the Tin Whistle
D major · 6/8 · 180 BPM · Jig · Beginner
Belfast Ham is a jig you can learn on the tin whistle, set in D major (6/8, around 180 beats per minute). It uses 10 distinct notes, ranging from F#5 up to A6 — all within the D whistle’s range.
Jig in D major — 158 notes, difficulty 2/5.
The tin whistle notes for Belfast Ham start A F# A D C# B B E F# G F# E… Full sequence below.
The interactive sheet music shows a fingering chart under every note. Press Play this tune to play along while the app listens to your microphone and grades every note, or print a clean copy of the score.
Tin whistle notes
On a D tin whistle, play Belfast Ham with these notes in order. Same letter in a higher octave uses the same fingering — overblow for the second register.
A F# A D C# B B E F# G F# E D C# B A B G F# G D F# A F# D C# E C# A B C# D F# A F# D G F# G A G F# G F# E F# E D E F# G F# E D A D C# D D A
Sheet music
ABC notation
X:28041 T:Belfast Ham R:jig M:6/8 L:1/8 K:Dmajor |:AFA d2c|B2B e2f|gfe dcB|ABG F2G|! AFA d2c|B2B efg|fed Adc|(d3 d2)A:|! |:d2f afd|cec ABc|d2f afd|g3f2g|! agf gfe|fed efg|fed Adc|(d3 d2)A:| % Source: https://thesession.org/tunes/15122 setting 28041 (traditional, public domain)
Fingering chart
Belfast Ham uses these notes on the D tin whistle: F#5, G5, A5, B5, C#6, D6, E6, F#6, G6, A6.
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